MAKKAH — A number of licensed Saudi tourist guides have listed several obstacles that prevented them from practicing the profession, with shortage of opportunities topping the list. Abdulaziz Al-Hudaib, a tourist guide accredited by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, said finding job opportunities in the field is the most difficult obstacle tourist guides continue to encounter across Saudi Arabia. Another obstacle is the English language, which is the universal language of communication. The majority of tourists speak it but some tourist guides still face difficulty mastering the language. A third obstacle is one's family responsibilities. Most tourist guides cannot leave their family alone at home for days in a stretch. "Most tourist guides refuse to accompany tourists for more than a day and prefer to be closer to their families so that they can attend to their needs," Al-Hudaib explained. Yet another obstacle is the tourist guide test, which requires an 80 percent score to pass. Passing the test is a condition to obtain a tourist guide license and practice the profession in the country. The test has three components focusing on personal and social traits such as the ability to deal with others and make prompt decisions, knowledge of tourist attractions and geographical and historical information about archeological sites. Other obstacles include the poor professional development programs for new tourist guides and the number of times the test is offered in a year. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage says the requirements for a tourist guide license are not easy because the commission wants to ensure that only highly-qualified people can pass interviews, training courses and the test. The commission applies international standards for licensing tourist guides and believes that only highly-qualified guides can develop the tourism sector in line with Vision 2030.
